The students hopped out of the white Hamburg High School van on a chilling, drizzly morning, sliding hair nets over their heads before entering the building.
Once inside, a couple shook water out of plastic bottles and placed them on a conveyor belt. A few feet away, others picked up bottles filled with tea and placed stickers on them.
A little while later, the students gathered outside, each grabbing a crate loaded with filled tea bottles and carefully placing it in the back of the van.
They were all pretty typical sights for a place like Pure Wild Tea. The small home-based business in Upper Tulpehocken Township brews and bottles teas, and the Hamburg students’ work resembled what happens there on a daily basis.
But for the kids, taking part was something pretty special.
The students who visited Pure Wild Tea this week, and also stopped by to work last week, are all enrolled in Hamburg High School’s Transition Academy Program, which is designed to help young adults with disabilities transition to life after school.
For many, that means getting a job. And they’re eager to prove they have what it takes to succeed in the workforce.
“I really like doing this because it teaches everybody we can do more than people think we can,” Kristin Buchert said.
The Transition Academy Program is typically for students ages 19 to 21. It aims to provide students with the academic and socialization skills they need for successful employment and independent living.
They learn about self-awareness, self-care and self-management. They do things like shop for Christmas presents or groceries. They make and sell holiday crafts.
The students also get hands-on experience in the workforce.
Students in the program get to try out all sorts of jobs. One works as a part-time custodian at the middle school, a few others have jobs at Redner’s. And a group of students clean the Hamburg Strand Theater.
“My favorite is working at the Strand,” Ian Moyer said, adding that sometimes the students get to watch a movie after they’re done. “Even though it hurts my back, it’s worth it.”
Daniel Ziegler said he has benefited quite a bit from being in the program, and is excited for life after school.
“I want to get a job and be on my own,” he said. “I learned about not giving up at a job.”
Tracy Herber, who runs the program, said the COVID pandemic has thrown a bit of a wrench into the works, making it hard to find ways to get the students out on job sites. That’s why she jumped at the chance to have them visit Pure Wild Tea.
“It gets them used to working together as a team,” she said. “That’s the kind of skill they need — they’re all looking for competitive employment when they leave school.”
The tea that the Hamburg students helped bottle isn’t destined for retail sale. After loading it into their school van, they delivered it a few miles away to Tuplehocken High School, where it will be used for a Future Farmers of America fundraiser.
Source: Berkshire mont
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